Free Speech

[Whickerman]

With so much of the news being taken up with cases of Free Speech being denied, what's your take on the issue?

Personally, i believe that no-one has the right to dictate how someone thinks, so long as the person doesn't act on thoughts that infringe one anothers freedoms.

[asciwhite]

Hello Whickerman, this is quite an interesting piece...

http://www.vexen.co.uk/religion/blasphemy.html

any good to you?

[sp1814]

Whickerman

Whilst no-one has the right to determine the limits of free speech - we do it all the time.

I've used this example before, and perhaps it might help. When you're down the pub with your mates, you use language and refer to things that you wouldn't do in front of (say) your grandmother or your local vicar.

We censor ourselves all the time, because we do not want to willingly give offence to people. This is how I see free speech working. Just because you can say anything (within the confines of the law), doesn't mean you should. Unless you suffer from some form of social Tourette syndrome.

The only people who

[Whickerman]

Self censorship is fine - no quibbles there.

It's when you try control my thoughts - that's where i have the problem. There are so many people I disagree with, but I would never raise a finger to stop them having an opinion.

That's why I could never agree with government censorship.

[asciwhite]

sp1814, there must be an awful lot of people in this country with tourette syndrome (u effin' ****)

[sp1814]

asciwhite

Ha ha ha...very good.

[sp1814]

Whickerman

Governments who try to censor free association or police the thoughts of their people are soon found out.

We live in a democracy where we are at liberty to campaign against and to vote out, those that we disagree with.

I totally believe that people should be allowed to say what they want within the law. I mean remember when the Thatcher government tried to silence Sinn Fein?

Ridiculous.

No - I say let the BNP or whoever, say what they want. That's the only way people who oppose their views can expose them and mock them for what they really are...life-failures who have small sexual organs.

[asciwhite]

sorry to post up another link, but there seems to be an awful lot of debate on these such subjects, and I wonder why?

http://www.mdx.ac.uk/www/study/sshglo.htm#Speech

[sp1814]

Perhaps by introducing a doctrine designed to limit the boundaries of free speech, those in power are attempting to design a society where unnacceptable ideas are eliminated...which of course, is impossible. You only have to read some of the more...ribald...posts on AB to see that.

[Whickerman]

SP1814 - I too thought we lived in a society where people were free to have opinions. Unfortunately, the reactions to everything from cartoons (everywhere) to protests (Dublin) to speeches, however sickening (Austria - David Irving) over the past few weeks has proven me wrong. I disagree profoundly with the likes of Irving, but I'll still defend his right to speak - however wrong he is.

[sp1814]

Whickerman

True...I knew nothing about this obious reptile until I saw the following quote (from a speech he made in 1992 to the Clarendon Club):

"For the time being, for a transitional period I'd be prepared to accept that the BBC should have a dinner-jacketed gentleman reading the important news to us, following by a lady reading all the less important news, followed by Trevor McDonald giving us all the latest news about the muggings and the drug busts�"

When I see things like that I want to see his name and face published all over the place.

Then I would like to see his car break down in the middle of Brixton...on a Friday night.

So I say give these people the oxygen of publicity and see them hung by their own words.

[sp1814]

For 'obious', read 'odious'. Someone swapped the keys round on my keyboard.

[SarCaustic]

Speaking of censorship, did you know that censorship is higher in the UK than anywhere else in the world? There's an annual censorship index or something that I can't remember the name of that includes all the details. It is not opinions that are censored though, leaving only the media. Sinister!

Freedom of speech is an essential civil liberty and I'm all for complete unadultarated free speech (even the stupid extreme stuff) BUT it should be exercised responsibly in the media (given its influence). Speech that is offensive, condescending, insulting or misleading published by the media can have profound effects on public opinion.